poet. whatsoe’er, pron. and a. Also 5 quat-sever, 6 whats’ever. (In early use often as two words or three.) [f. WHATSO + EVER. adv. 8 e; cf. SOEVER.]
1. a. pron. = WHATEVER 2 a.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 270. Wisdom ðe made ilc ðing of noȝt, Quuat-so-euere on heuone or her is wroȝt.
c. 1320. Cast. Love, 420. Riht ne spareþ for to jugge What-so-euere Soþ wol sugge.
c. 1420. Sir Amadace (Camden), xlvii. Quat-seuer ȝe wille with the kingus men do.
1509. Fisher, Funeral Serm. C’tess Richmond, Wks. (1876), 301. What so euer thou wylt aske of god thy fader I knowe wel he wyll graunte it vnto the.
1526. Tindale, John xiv. 13. Whatsoever ye axe in my name, that will I do.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. i. 252. Whats’ever now the Heav’ns wide arms embrace.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. xlvii. § 2. Whosoeuer hath the name of a mortal man, there is in him whatsoeuer the name of vanitie doth comprehend.
1664. Butler, Hud., II. iii. 297. He knew whats’ever’s to be known.
1817. Shelley, Rev. Islam, IV. xii. Whatsoe’er my wakened thoughts create.
1874. Pusey, Lenten Serm., 103. More grievous will be that fire, than whatsoever man can suffer in this life.
b. adj. = WHATEVER 2 b.
1484. Caxton, Fables of Æsop, VI. ii. None, for what so euer myght that he haue ought not to despreyse the other.
1526. Tindale, Phil. iv. 8. Whatsoever thyngs are true, whatsoever thyngs are honest,… those same have ye in youre mynde.
1564. Bullein, Dial. agst. Pest. (1888), 139. Whatsoeuer thinges are seen with bodily iyen.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 587. In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom Thou telst.
1868. Morris, Earthly Par. (1870), I. I. 71. Whatsoever things We asked for,… those were ours.
2. a. pron. = WHATEVER 3 a.
13[?]. Cursor M., 10508 (Gött.). Þu ma gode chere Quat so euer þu se or here.
c. 1450. Merlin, ii. 37. I will knowe the soth, what-so-euer it coste.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, xliii. 143. I woll not be dyspleased what so euer thou sayest.
1582. Allen, Martyrdom Campion (1908), 16. Meaning by the state (whatsoever they otherwise pretende) … the welfare of some few … upholden by this new religion.
1676. Dryden, Aurengz., IV. 61. And, whatsoe’r my Letter did pretend, I made this meeting for no other end. Ibid. (1681), Abs. & Achit., 797. Whatsoe’r their Sufferings were before, That Change they Covet makes them suffer more.
1794. R. J. Sulivan, View Nat., I. 113. Any force by which bodirs tend towards each other, whatsoever be the cause.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, III. 187. They froze me, or affronted me … whatsoever I did.
† b. Whoever: = prec. 2 b. Obs.
c. 1430. Lydg., in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903), 46. I Counsell, what-so-euer thow be.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 122. Pay iustly thy tithes whatsoeuer thou bee.
1588. A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., 69. Quhatsaeuer ȝe be yat ar baptized in Christ ȝe haue put on Christ.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., I. iii. 124. As any man in Illyria, whatsoeuer he be, vnder the degree of my betters.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, II. [I.] xi. 29. Could’st thou that readest this, whatsoeuer thou art…?
c. adj. = WHATEVER 3 b.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, cxlix. 568. Ye ought to praise our lord god, what so euer losse ye hane had.
1546. in Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), II. 68. Quhatsoevir estait or ordour he be of.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., I. 1. Afore the eyne baith of our Nobilitie, and of the lai people, in quhatsaeuir state or degrie.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 125, ¶ 8. Those whom they ought to look upon as their Common Enemies, whatsoever Side they may belong to.
1849. Ruskin, Seven Lamps, i. (1885), 7. The art which so disposes and adorns the edifices raised by man, for whatsoever uses, that [etc.].
1874. L. Morris, Songs of Two Worlds, Ser. II. Reply, ii. Whatsoever chance befall, Of myself I’d die possest.
3. a. adj. † (a) = WHATEVER 4 a (a). Obs.
1589. in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ., V. 177. I wil put it in practice, nothwithstanding whatsoeuer inclination to the contrary.
1605. A. Wotton, Answ. Popish Pamph., 76. [We] who submitt whatsoeuer our expositions to be compared with the Scriptures.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., ¶ 3. He would not suffer it to be broken off for whatsoeuer speaches or practises.
1611. W. Sclater, Key (1629), 125. Fornication … is any whatsoeuer breach of Chastitie.
1678. Cudworth, Intell. Syst., 232. One True God, from whom is all Whatsoever Nature.
a. 1679. Hobbes, Rhet., Pref. The Art of speaking, which … is able to bring about whatsoever Interest.
(b) = WHATEVER 4 a (b).
1472–3. Rolls of Parlt., VI. 34/1. In this Parlement, or any other Parlement afore this tyme holden whatsoever notwithstondyng.
1549. Wriothesley, Chron. (Camden), II. 9. This realme of Englande and other the Kinges dominions whatsoeauer.
1582. in Allen, Martyrdom Campion (1908), 80. I build not my faith upon any one man whatsoever.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., I. ii. 216. I promist we would be Contributors, And beare his charge of wooing whatsoere.
1692. Hickeringill, Good Old Cause, Wks. 1716, II. 535. You may easily know to get an Antidote against Death, and Losses, and Crosses, whatsoever.
1792. Almon, Anecd. W. Pitt, II. xxix. 127. In every circumstance of government and legislation whatsoever.
1865. Kingsley, Herew., ix. He felt in himself no title whatsoever to that epithet.
† b. pron. = WHATEVER 4 b. Obs.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 1023/1. Other wil become horne madde and be at defiance with whatsoeuer.
1583. Stocker, Civ. Warres Lowe C., III. 134. It was also well furnished … with whatsoeuer els necessary for a Trenche.
1641. Earl Monm., trans. Biondi’s Civil Wars, III. 152. The pompe and solemnity exceeded whatsoever of former times.
